Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) Movie Script

Fire in the hole!

All clear!

Come all ye young fellers

so brave and so fine

Seek not your fortune

way down in the mine.

It'll form like a habit

and will sink in your soul

till the streams of your blood

runs as black as the coal.

Where it's dark

as a dungeon damp

as the dew, where

the danger is double

and the pleasures are few.

Where the rain

never falls, the sun

never shines, it's dark as a

dungeon way down in the mines.

Yeah, smile for it.

A lot of them girls got

them clothes on.

Whoo!

For forty-two years is a

mighty long time I labored

untold down in a coal mine.

Down in a deep hole where

the bright lights did glow,

back in a dark room

a-spadin' up coal.

My bones they did

ache me my knee caps

got bad down on a hard

rock on a set of knee pads.

The motors were

shifting I got sand in my hair.

Both lungs were broke down

from a-breathin' bad air.

Coal

mining was rough.

18 and 20 hours, get

wet, come outside,

your clothes would

be close to stiff.

It would sound

like a

hit 'em, like a rattle noise.

They worked you like working

a mule or a ..

I heard the boss man to say

one time, he said you be sure.

Don't get that

mule no place where

the rock will fall in on him.

Don't take that mule

to no bad place.

I said, well, what about me?

I was driving the mule in.

What about me, the

rock a-fallin' on me?

He said, we can always

hire another man.

He said, you gotta

buy that mule.

In other words, they

thought more of the mule

than they did a man.

My grandfather

was a coal miner

and belonged to

the union, the UMW.

And he died with the black lung.

I can remember sitting

around, you know--

--when we were younger,

and him talking about being

on picket lines and organizing.

And I mean, that was mostly what

we talked about, sitting around

the table after supper and all.

Most of our conversation

was his union--

when he was organizing

for the union and things

that happened on the

picket line, and things

that the company did to you.

And so I began to hate

the company, you know?

I mean, it seemed like

I just always did.

I knew they were

enemy, you know?

And then, when I watched him

die, and suffer like he did

with that black lung disease,

I knew that something

could be done about it.

And I told myself then, if I

ever get the opportunity to get

those coal operators, I will.

Because I thought, you

know, it was the enemy.

And so when this track came

up, I saw the opportunity

and I jumped right in there.

Let's get up there at

five o'clock in the morning.

Fix you a good cup of coffee.

Let's be there and

show these Brookside

workers what we can do for 'em.

Let's stand on our two feet

and show these boys that we

can help them get a contract.

Let's show the people of Harlan

County we stand together.

If you file for this contract,

we're going to get it.

Hey, the fire's on hot now,

it ain't much they can do.

All you boys on that

football field where I am,

I want you to be

there in the morning.

Let's show Carl Horn

that we stand on two feet

here in Harlan County.

We'll set there and

sweat when it's snowing.

We'll stand right there

until that UMWA contract

gets signed at Brookside.

All you people here

in Black Mountain,

we'd really

appreciate it if you'd

be down there at

five o'clock, sunrise

revival at Brookside, Kentucky.

Let's don't back off.

Let's don't let one man

run us out of Harlan.

Yeah, boys, that's

where it's happening--

Brookside at five

o'clock Monday morning.

Let's be down there to

support the Brookside workers.

I got hurt down there about

a year ago at Brookside.

I had about 300 pounds

of steel on my head.

And they took me to the

hospital, sewed my head up,

and a hole cut

through my nose here.

And I was off one day.

And the superintendent

sent a feller over said,

you need to come on

back up here and work

so we'll make it easy on you

so you won't lose no time.

And I went back up.

Finding it knocked me out

of compensation or anything.

Busted--

my head busted open.

That's the way they--

that's the way they

want you to work down there.

Protect your family.

UMWA.

Go on down, boys.

We need your support.

Take some of that

money and ..

Now you're a real pal.

Need your support, buddy.

May the good lord

take a liking to you.

Yeah!

UMWA all the way.

Here, give me one.

I'll put it on the side--

Right on the bumper there.

Tennessee is a UMW.

We're out of these

Kentucky stickers

or we'd give you one of them.

Organize the unorganized.

With organization, you have

the aid of your fellow man.

Without organization,

you are a lone individual

without influence and without

recognition of any kind.

And exploitation of

you and your family

when it pleases some

industrialist who desires

to make money from your misery.

But we'd like to have

every man to walk this picket

duty with us, to get his

name before he leaves,

and we'll break it up.

These boys on this committee

will break it down.

And we'll get

something going here.

Come on up and sit around.

It ain't no big thing.

You ain't gonna be

doing nothin' no way.

Crying about how broke

you are, like I am.

We sure appreciate that.

A sticker.

We're protesting.

We're protesting Duke Power's

control over these men

that voted in the UMW contract.

And Duke Power says no, you

can't have that contract.

We have made them

dozens and dozens

of proposals of

different language

in these areas of disagreement.

They read them and

throw them back.

And they have no

counterproposal.

If you could

settle it quietly,

I would think maybe to do it.

And say, well, maybe

they won this battle,

but we've got them off our back.

Well, I would agree

with you to this extent--

I'd like to have

them off our back.

They're treating us

like we're animals, dogs.

Well, we aren't.

We're American citizens.

And they are violating

our constitutional rights

when they tell us that we can't

have the union of our choice

that those men voted in.

If you looked on

TV the other day,

you seen women going up

there, men, impeach Nixon.

Impeach Nixon.

But you let us get

up there with protest

signs against Duke Power.

And they're sending their

gun thugs to intimidate us.

What do you think

when unions are

destroying our whole country?

Mr. Hoffa's in a penitentiary.

Thinks the union is

known communists.

The longshoremen are

known communists.

Every union in the country

is what

will happen to their country.

The men wants higher wages.

They're going to strike for

the union is begging 'em.

They stay on strike till

they get their higher wages.

I explained to my daughter, I

said there's a spool of thread

there.

I said that thread

might have been $0.15.

The men goes on strike.

I said, then if they get--

if they get $0.30 on there,

they get their $0.30.

When they go back to

work, they got to raise

that price to cover that wage.

The unions is what's doing it.

The unions is what's

running the United States.

I went to work when I

was 10 years old picking

slate in the coal.

Well, at that time, we were

working 10 hours a day.

And we were getting six and

a fraction cents an hour.

Well, we breaker boys, we'd

have our feet in the chute.

And we'd be picking

the slate out,

when the breaker boss

would sneak up behind us,

and if he'd see a piece

of slate coming through,

he'd pick up the slate and

hit you in the back with it,

and hit you hard.

He'd say, pick that slate up!

You know?

Well, they used to

abuse us, actually.

Well, finally, we got to a stage

where we figured that, well, we

was gonna strike.

That was when I learned my

first real political lesson

about what happens when

you take a position

against the coal operators,

against the capitalists.

Well, the first thing that

happened, the union officials

came to us and told us we'd

have to go back to work,

that we were violating

the agreement.

We said, the hell

with the agreement.

We're going to

stay out on strike

until we get our demands.

Well, then the politicians

began visiting us

and putting pressure on

us, then the parish priest.

Well, finally, the coal company

did agree to meet with us.

And they agreed to

raise the hourly pay

from six and a fraction

cents to $0.08 an hour.

So we thought we

got big concessions.

Today that wouldn't

mean anything.

That's only peanuts.

But it meant a whole lot to us

in our paycheck at that period.

Well, this was my first

lesson that if you

stuck to your organization and

stuck together in solidarity,

you could defeat them.

Besides that, I learned

that the politicians

worked with the coal companies.

I found out that the union

officials were working

with the coal companies.

I also found out that the

Catholic hierarchy was working

with the coal officials.

Here was a combination

of the whole thing, see--

that you had to bump up against

the whole combination of them.

When the coal and

iron police would

find out who was trying

to instigate a union,

well, they'd abuse them.

The miners figured, well, the

only way they could fight back

was to abuse them, pay them

for what they was doing.

So they began to use, then,

violence in retaliation

of the violence that was

being used against them.

This kind of a struggle

went on to such a degree

that there was many of the

mine foremen getting killed.

There were many of the police

getting killed, of course.

There was many miners

getting killed.

And it was a regular

guerrilla warfare.

I saw some of the earlier

ideas of guerrilla warfare

that developed out of

that kind of struggle.

The coal company gets

every dollar which he can

chisel out of some

coal miner through

management tactics.

So why wouldn't the coal

operators be satisfied?

The government is acting

as their muscle man.

That's the money of

Kentucky at work.

Breaking the organized labor.

Organize labor.

Well, hell, I don't think

they're in here for anything

except break the strike here.

They are for the

company all the way.

Scabs wouldn't

be alive for it.

I don't have any feelings

one way or the other.

I just have a job to do.

Then why are you here?

To keep the roads open.

Enforce laws and keep the peace.

Try to keep people

from getting hurt.

Put your hands.

Bailey?

I'm your, Bailey.

Because you're a damn

disgrace to the Bailey family.

Boy, this is a damn shame

a Bailey on a state cop.

Ain't that a shame?

You want to get a

shot of something,

get a shot of this

baby hanging over--

That's what I been looking at.

It's the same

diameter ..

That's a scab?

There are no healing

for a scab, you know?

Hell, that's some

nerve, don't it?

Put some nerve on there.

There's the damn

guy that drawed

that gun on me right there!

That guy used.

Get 'em out of here.

Hey!

That's goddamn wrong!

--Goddamn law enforcement.

Hey!

Go on, sucky.

Hey, go on.

Goddamned bastards.

That goddamn scab

son of a bitches.

Hey!

All you guys on this

injunction, all 36 of you,

remember this.

This is a court order.

You can't block the traffic,

and don't call them scabs.

Why not?

Because if you do, you'll

be down there behind bars.

Now, I don't think you'll

never win a strike by having

six people on the picket line.

There's no way, I

mean, that you can

win a strike with six pickets.

So you got to violate

these injunctions.

And the lawyers are

made to get you out

of trouble after you get in.

Not to get you out of

trouble before you get in.

I'll put it like this.

You do what you want to do.

Women all over the country

are interested in what

their husbands are doing.

They're interested

in the safety laws

that the United

Mine Workers have.

And they want their husbands

to have the pension funds.

They don't want their husbands

going into these scab mines,

with the rock a-falling

and running these here

motors with no brakes.

So they want to participate.

They're ready and willing.

The good thing about our club

is that now we're giving them

the chance to participate, to

say when their husbands go down

in the mine that they're

praying that they'll get out.

I think that they feel like

that maybe their prayers

will be answered

sooner if they are

working under a UMWA contract.

Well, I went down there

in support of the miners,

for the miners, and in

support of my own children,

too, that I'm raising up.

Now sit down real easy.

Sit down.

I can't get my foot in.

Angie.

I couldn't get my foot out--

You're messing.

Again.

If the scalps starts to

cross the picket lines,

we went because we was trying to

protect-- you know, the scalps

going to take your daddy's job.

When they sign the

contract, Daddy's

going to have hot running

water and a big old bathtub.

Let's help the

striking miners now.

Come all you coal

miners wherever

you may be and listen to a

story that I'll relate to thee.

My name is nothing extree but

the truth to you I'll tell.

I am a coal miner's wife.

I'm sure I wish you well.

They take your very life blood.

They take our children's lives.

Take fathers away from children

and husbands away from wives.

Oh, miner, won't you

organize wherever

you may be and make

this the land of freedom

for workers like you and me.

And we had to

fight for our rights.

You're going to have

to fight for that--

if you have more

safety in the mines,

if you get your

portal to portal pay,

if you have your doctor

card so you can be doctored.

Because if you get disabled,

and you don't have any backing,

then some home will get you

or your family will starve.

For you see, I

know what it means.

And this club means a lot

to pull us all together.

Everybody stand together in it.

And everybody goes together.

Everybody go out

on the picket line.

And we'll win their contract

if they'll all stand up.

That's good, sweetie.

All the police were lined

up there when we got there.

It was early.

We must have got there quarter

after five, maybe five thirty.

But they were there already.

And by that time, all this

big crowd had gathered,

you know, supporters.

One car went through

with three men in it.

They kind of slipped through.

And the next car come through,

we were able to get in the road

and lay down.

Come on, guys.

Lay down.

Then we'll see what kind of

law we got in Harlan County.

What kind of

state police we got?

Get them bastards

manhandling women.

That's what to do!

We didn't give 'em

any resistance whatever.

We just laid down in

the road because they

were there to escort those

scabs through to work.

And that's been going

on for a whole month.

And we've just come

too far for that.

Taking pictures,.

Oh, honey, they gotta

stay on that picket line.

If they start scabbing, man,

they gotta go back down there.

They can't let me down.

I mean, shit, just bring

me a gun if they're going--

I'd rather be dead

if I have to--

have to know that they're

scabbing at Brookside.

I can't stand it.

I can't stand the thought of it.

So just don't let

them, you know?

Stay on

the picket line,

always on the picket line.

I really mean it.

We all.

Then just keep

on the picket line.

Just beat the hell

out of them scabs.

Beat the shit out of them.

Which one ain't took?

I don't know,

but I got this one.

- This top one ain't took here.

- Right there.

Right there.

This is a double mattress.

I'll take this one.

Hell, I'm legally--

I was legally on

the picket line.

I told 'em you wasn't.

Tried to show 'em

in court down there,

and they wouldn't

accept the damn thing.

Just going to violate

one more ..

Then that'll put us

right back. 'Cause you're

a prisoner out there anyway.

That's right.

So you might as

well be in jail.

Be in jail.

There's a judgment forth

that Bell Dawn,,,

Lois Scott, Betty Eldridge,

Betsy,,

and Melba Strong be

incarcerated for a period

of 60 days from this date.

Could I say?

Because I haven't had a chance

to give any testimony today.

I knew we weren't going

to get any justice.

You say the laws

were made for us.

The laws are not made for the

working people in this country.

There's a person missing here

today, and that's Carl Horn.

The law was made for people

like Carl Horn, not for us.

So I knew when I came here,

without offering any testimony

or getting up.

I knew what I was doing at

Brookside, because that's

what I wanted to do.

For once, I was able to

take the offensive instead

of coming down here to

take a step backward

to try to defend what we did.

What we did is right,

and we all know that.

I resent the fact that

Judge Hogg is a

and him a coal operator.

And sitting beside

him, the circuit

court clerk, Mary

Lou,,

is sitting up there.

And her son is up there.

He's a photographer

up there, taking

the pictures for

them, to blacklist

the men on the picket line.

I resent that.

I resent the fact that he can

make a law that can tell me

that I can't go where I please.

He's violating my

constitutional rights.

My name is Norman Yarborough.

On my right is Mr.

Logan Patterson,

who is an attorney, who has

been retained by Eastover Mining

Company as chief negotiator.

Mr. Yarborough,

I'd like to ask you

what you think about the

role of miners' wives

play in this strike.

Well, they certainly

played a big role in it.

I would hate to

think that my wife

would play this kind of role.

Why?

Well, there's

been some conduct

that I don't like to think

that our American women have

to revert to.

Is it a fact that the

Duke Power Company maintains

housing for its employees

that has no water

and no indoor plumbing?

Yes, sir.

We were attempting

to move our people,

and these are our people,

they're my people,

move our people, upgrade

our people into trailers,

Upgrade our people into better

housing, better conditions

in all directions, because

they'll make us better people

when we are able to do this.

Larry!

Come on to supper!

It's a feudal system, I think.

There's a very rich

class of people

and then there are

the coal miners.

And then there are the

people who are on relief,

and that's about it in Harlan.

They want to keep it this way.

The way they keep it

that way is keeping

a monopoly on the labor market.

And they do that by

keeping other competitives

or industries that will be

competitive for the labor,

keep them out.

There are a few

little places to work,

but I mean, they don't pay

enough but the minimum wage

there, you know, maybe $2.

And you can't make a living

from that no more, you know.

And if me and him-- if it

don't go United Miner Works,

me and him are going to

have to leave Harlan County.

That's for sure,

or maybe Kentucky.

We'll have to go where it's a

union state to get a job again.

Duke Power is a Southern

conservative company.

Less than 10 % of their employees

and their power plants and

their line crews are organized.

And they feel that if they

give in to the contract here,

it will encourage

union organization

in their home state of North

Carolina and South Carolina.

They say in North Carolina

Duke Power runs the show.

Carl Horn would like

to break the strike,

but the miners tell him no.

Which side are you on, boys?

Which side are you on?

Going up in New York City.

We've got to spread the news.

Been fighting hard

for many months

and we're not about to lose.

Which side are you on, boys?

Which side are you on?

You're from the South?

Yeah, he sounds

like he's from the South.

You don't look like

you're all from--

We're gonna let people

know that if you buy

Duke Power stock, it's risky.

We've had several this morning

said they had Duke Power stock,

but they wouldn't

it long, that they

were going to get rid of it.

And that sounded

beautiful to me.

The tunnels here is

just like a mine's.

Only ours is about

42 inches high.

I think these are more

secure than a mine's though.

I wouldn't mind going

under here, but your mines?

Oh, yeah.

You wouldn't

want to go in the mines?

They can make good profit

off of mines, you know,

if they had a union.

They won't give us one.

They make some

profit, but they keep

it all to themselves, right?

Yeah.

They don't spread the wealth.

I thought you guys got paid

a little more than you do.

You don't get paid

a bad salary, but I

thought it was a little more.

- We get paid real good.

No, it's not.

But you know--

What's real good--

$5, $6 an hour?

Yeah.

That's not real good.

I make more than that.

Yeah?

Sure I do.

A policeman makes

less down there.

We make about seven.

God.

That's good money.

We draw union strike benefits.

And it's real hard, you

know, live on a hundred.

Is your job real

dangerous, though?

Well, you see, look at me.

Yeah, but this is what I do.

It's a lot of bullshit.

I mean, a lot of people

don't understand that--

that electricity

burning over there

takes somebody dying

every day for it.

One man dies every day.

You've probably get

medical coverage.

Free.

Free medical coverage?

I'd save up, buddy.

Buy a house or something.

Kids all get sick, and I'd

have to spend every penny--

What about dental?

No dental.

You got dental?

God.

We got dental.

We got all kinds of health.

We got drugs.

I could retire at 36,

half pay, $10,000 a year.

Well, they don't want us

to ever be able to retire.

That's bad.

That's the reason

we're here, you know?

That's the reason

we're on strike.

Been on strike nine months.

Nine months?

Nine months.

I thought this

was the first day?

No, this is nine months!

We can't get it-- they

won't sign a contract.

It's a good thing you

came up here to bring

some publicity.

Yeah, yeah.

The outstanding issues between

Duke Power and its coal mining

subsidiary, Eastover

Mining Company,

and the United Mine

Workers and the opinion--

of the management of Eastover

and the management of Duke

Power are the

absence of a no strike policy,

refusal of the union to

agree to not strike during

the life of the contract.

If there are questions

on the contact

of my report to

the stockholders,

I'll entertain those questions.

How come you hire gun thugs

to harass us around with?

You're saying there

that the issue

is for a no strike clause.

Well, if we had a no

strike clause in there,

Norman Yarborough could

kick us off of that hill,

and there wouldn't be a

thing we could do about it.

But I tell you, we

are in Harlan County.

All of our life we've

been kicked around.

We've been put in jail.

We've been shot at.

We've had dynamite

throwed at us.

And then you don't want

us to have nothing.

Well, I'll tell you, Mr. Horn.

I'm going to be standing right

there on the picket line,

looking at you just

as long as it takes.

Thank you.

Coal companies are not the JP

Morgans or the Hannas anymore.

It's Occidental Petroleum

and Exxon and Sohio.

They're the ones,

the oil companies,

who control the coal industry.

70 % of all the

domestic coal reserves

are owned by oil companies.

There just can't

be any question

that the health and the safety

of our employees in the mining

industry must be

given first priority

on humanitarian grounds alone.

We find violation

after violation

after violation in those mines.

We have a national record that

looks very poor when laid up

against the German national

record, the UK national record,

the French national

record, the Netherlands

national record, and the

others that I've examined.

So I think that--

I'm not indicting anyone.

If anything, I'm

indicting myself.

I'm inditing an agency

that I've been associated

with for a long time.

We haven't done all that we

should have in this field.

Oh, my god, Frankie.

I said, the whole midnight

shift and the mine blew up.

They're trapped in the mine, and

I said, Pete's in there, too.

He left for work and he act--

well, just kind of, like, he

didn't want to go to work.

He'd rather stayed home.

He said, maybe I

should stay home.

And I said, why don't you?

And he went to the

door about two or three

different times, kept

saying, should I go

or should I stay home?

Says it's bitten snow out there.

He said, I just hate

to be on the road.

I said, why don't

you stay home, then

and pretend you're sick tonight.

But he went, and then that

was the explosion ..

I live right almost on the

seat of the main explosion,

right, Sara?

And they said, you

get out of your house.

And the police

told me to get out.

Do you know why?

Because they was notified

to tell me, yeah, get out.

Because they didn't

want me to see what

was going on up at that

damn dirty filthy mines!

I gave up.

I figured we'd never make

it out because we just--

we all passed out.

I don't know whether any one

man didn't pass out or not.

I couldn't say that,

'cause I know I did.

When I woke up, I was,

like, froze to death.

I've worked in the

mines about seven years.

And I've really never been

too scared of the mines.

But I don't like I'll

go back in the mines.

And the television says, if

another explosion would occur,

they'd have to seal the

mine, and about one o'clock

that explosion came.

And I says, they'll seal them.

They sealed them.

And then we knew that

was-- that was it.

You can read it in

the paper and the radio

tells us to raise our

children to be miners as well.

Tell them how safe

the mines are today.

And to be like daddy,

bring home a big pay.

But don't you

believe it, my boy.

That story's a lie.

Remember the disaster

at the Mannington mine

where 78 miners

were burned alive.

Because of unsafe conditions,

your daddy's died.

Now I'd like to

know, since they died,

in order to help

the living, find

out what caused that explosion.

You know, you learn

from a tragedy.

And then maybe they can help--

Others.

--Others to live, and then

it wouldn't happen again.

But as long as they're

greedy, and as long

as they're rushing

the coal miner

and wanting the

production before lives,

there will always be tragedies.

I know there's

something wrong,

but I didn't know what it was.

And the doctors told me.

About 60, don't you know?

Yeah, about 60

something or along there.

What would happen to you,

when you started realizing

that something was wrong?

Well, you just

couldn't get no breath.

You'd walk a little

piece and you would give

out, just a-panting for breath.

And sometimes you couldn't

hardly get it no way.

Lots of times I've had

to go to the hospital

down here to the doctor and they

give me some shots and things.

And I thought I was a goner.

Black lung, black

lung, oh, your hands,

I see coal as you reach for my

life and you torture my soul.

Cold as that water hole

down in that dark cave

where I spent my life's

blood digging my own grave.

When you start

destroying the lung tissue,

as occurs in miners who have

pneumoconiosis and the end

result of pneumoconiosis, there

really isn't anything that you

can do to restore the lungs.

There's just simply destroyed.

170 over 100.

Are you?

I'll be 67.

67?

Well, you couldn't see

your buddy on the other

side of the.

We'd be covered just

black ..

Well, it don't even make

what color you went in at,

you all-- we looked the

same when you came out.

Right?

- That's right.

We're soul brothers.

Murray, that's right.

When you came out, the

whites looked like the blacks

so it wasn't any different.

So you knew you was

getting plenty of dust.

There are also

miners that are working

and who are very

symptomatic, but who

don't dare quit unless they

can be reassured that they have

sufficient impairment

that they'll

be able to elect some sort

of disability benefits.

And it's a kind of

a negative system.

Because what we do

is we really force

them to keep working until

they become that disabled.

He went to the boss man

but he closed the door.

Well, it seems you're not

wanted when you're sick

and you're poor.

You're not even covered

in their medical plans.

And your life depends

on the favors of man.

We want to do the

right thing about coal

workers pneumoconiosis.

But we think that the best

informed medical opinion will

show you that it's not true that

the inhalation and retention

of coal dust in the

lungs necessarily

results in any impairment

of pulmonary function.

And that on the contrary, only

a relatively small portion

of coal miners who have coal

dust retained in the lungs

have any resulting impairment

of pulmonary function,

much less disability.

This is one of

your brother's lungs.

And this is what it

looks like at autopsy.

And this is why he died.

That's preventable.

Other countries have done it.

Other countries have

made tremendous strides.

For example, the Australians

believe that they've

completely eliminated the

problem of lung disease

in their coal miners.

Down at the

graveyard, the boss man

came with his little

bunch of flowers.

Dear god, what a shame!

Take back those flowers.

Don't you sing no sad songs.

The die has been cast now.

A good man is gone.

It turns out that

1969 was a year

for an election in the

United Mine Workers union.

And with all the

dissatisfaction going on,

there was, really,

for the first time,

I guess, in the union's history,

there was really open talk

of people opposing Tony Boyle.

40 years I have to work

in a mine to get a pension,

a meager pension at that.

And I suppose when I do quit,

which will be in two years

because I can't

stand it anymore,

I won't be able

to get silicosis,

because you have to be dead.

I doubt Tony

Boyles ever knowed

what coal dust is on his hands.

All he's sitting back there,

up there on Washington

Drive a big amount of money.

What for?

He doesn't even know what

the miners goes through.

And to hell with him!

That's the way I feel.

Boyle's doing

nothing for the widows,

Boyle's doing nothing

for the pensioners.

I'll give you this.

I'll give you that.

I'll give you pie if I can

reach high enough in the sky

in the sweet bye and bye.

Well, the coal

miners in this country

are damn sick and

tired of having

a national president

of its organization

that's in bed with

the coal operators.

Clarksville, Pennsylvania

is not too far from here.

Coal miners were hoping

for a brighter new year.

But for John Yablonski,

his daughter and wife,

the new year brought an ending

to their precious lives.

Well, it's cold blooded murder,

friends, I'm talking about now.

Who's gonna stand up

and who's gonna fight?

We better clean up that

union, put it on solid ground,

and get rid of that dirty trash

keeps the working man down.

Now we have nine

paid holidays.

And I think the one

that tops them all is

the holiday for your birthday.

Every miner is given

the opportunity

to work on his birthday

and he receives triple time

for working on his birthday.

I think that's really

something to be proud of.

And this is the

thought and the idea

and the accomplishment

of President Boyle.

You know, when they asked

me how many terms do you want?

You know how many

terms I told them?

I told 'em, I said just as long

as the Supreme Being up there

gives me the intellect

and the health to carry on

and the membership

elect me to office,

that's how many terms I want,

until I'm 180 years of age.

Can you tell us just

where the bodies were found

and some of the circumstances

surrounding the discovery?

Well, the daughter

was in a bedroom

adjoining the master bedroom.

And Mr. And Mrs. Yablonski

were in the master bedroom.

The events in

Washington, Pennsylvania

show that murder is as

institutionalized within

the UMWA as it is in the mafia.

The order to kill--

to kill the whole

family, if necessary,

was as routinely transmitted

and carried out as an order

to call a strike or

settle a grievance.

We loved and

admired our father.

We respected him.

And my brother and I

would like to carry him

to his final resting

place, but we

deem it proper to do otherwise.

My brother Joseph, with our

cousins from my mother's

family, will carry our mother.

And I, with our cousins

from my father's family,

will carry our sister Charlotte.

We entrust our

father to the coal

miners whom he loved so much.

O, death Whoa, death.

Please spare me

for another year.

Please spare me over

for another year.

The children prayed.

The preacher preached.

Time and mercy's out of reach.

To death I come to take

the soul leave my body

and leave it cold.

Take the skin right

off the brain,

earth and worms both

have their claim.

O, death.

O death.

Please spare me on

for another year.

Please spare me over

for another year.

In 1969, there wasn't

any reform organization.

This is 1972.

And this is the year for

Miners for Democracy.

Now you can look around

and see your brothers

in other districts who are

willing to stand shoulder

to shoulder with you to

throw Boyle and his crowd

out for once and for all.

I'm proud of the honor of

heading up the slate of rank

and file candidates for

the international offices

for rank and file miners.

We must have a safety program

that will guarantee our members

a safe journey to

and from the mines,

not one which accepts that

we must lose 200 or 300

men every year in mining.

I want to make it plain that

my commitment is to the rank

and file miner.

When the ninth of

December rolls around,

we'll have our election day.

And Boyle, you'd better

sit up and listen

'cause here's what

we're gonna say.

Well, Tony, you've been

at the top too long.

Quit stealing all our pay.

But Miller is here,

and the time is near.

There's coming a reckoning day.

I now pronounce you

President of the United

Mine Workers of America.

Congratulations.

Which office was this?

This was Boyles's old

office and the other one was

Suzanne Richard's old office.

Neither lives here anymore.

I do sign a

$0.20 royalty for--

Peabody!

--Peabody Coal Company.

What'd you say?

Mr. Boyle was giving a civil

deposition when he was intruded

upon by three FBI agents.

I think that's grossly unfair.

I never expected that that

was going to come through,

anything like this.

- Why?

Paul?

Because I had no forewarning.

What about the charge itself?

Well, as I read

the charge, I'm

not supposed to say anything.

My lawyer told me.

As you read the charge, what?

As bad as the killers

are, Vealey and a Gilly

and whatever they may be, they

don't compare to the people

at the top who would use the

blood and sweat of miners

to finance for killing.

Excuse us, please.

Excuse me.

The United Mine Workers

today is a labor organization

of rank and file miners

led by rank and file miners

for rank and file miners.

And that's the way

it ought to be.

I want to

introduce to all of you now,

and I expect that most

of you already know her,

Miss Florence Reese.

I'm not a coal miner,

as you well know.

But I'm as close as I

could be not to be one.

My father was a coal miner,

was killed in the mines.

And my husband is slowly

dying of black lung.

And my husband and me was

in the strike in the '30s

in bloody Harlan County.

And I do mean it is bloody, too.

And they tell me,

these miners say,

we're going to stick it

out, unless Duke Power

signs a contract until

hell freezes over.

And the men know

they've got nothing

to lose but their chains

and their union to gain.

So I say, hang in there.

And now this song I

composed in the '30s.

And you know, I'm old.

That's forty years ago.

And I can't sing very well.

But you can ask the

scabs and the gun

thugs which side they're on,

because they're workers, too.

Come, all you poor workers.

Good news to you I'll tell,

how the good old union

has come in here to dwell.

Which side are you on?

If you go to Harlan County,

there is no neutral there.

You'll either be a union

man or a thug for JH Blair.

Which side are you on?

But what about this

gun being pulled?

Oh, he pulled it right there.

--That station wagon.

He had it concealed in a rag.

He said if

we got in his way again,

he would mow us down.

I told him, I said, I'll see

you in federal court Monday,

if you say that again, sir.

We're here on peaceful business.

And so he put it back

his holster then,

wrapped it back up in a rag,

and got back in his car.

But he did pull

the gun and point it.

That's car

and that's the gun thug.

He is a known strike breaker.

Breaker!

That man is the gun thug.

He's the same one that

came up here before.

And he had the gun

in the car whenever

Red was talking to him.

And he's a-cruising around

here now, going up and down,

trying to find out

who's here, you see.

Who are you

working with, honey?

- What?

- Who do you work with?

United Press.

Well, you show

me your press card.

It's in the car.

And get my press card.

Show me your press card.

OK.

What's your name, sir?

My name is Basil Collins.

Do you work here?

Yes, ma'am.

What's your position here?

Land foreman.

How do you feel about the

people picketing out here?

Well, I would have

no comment on that.

And you, sir?

Same thing.

Where's this press card

you was gonna show me?

- Can I see your identification?

- Ma'am--

May I see your identification?

Yes ma'am, if I had any,

I'm sure I've lost it.

All I can do is just say--

Well, I think I might

have misplaced mine, too.

OK.

All right.

He had the nerve

enough, believe it or not,

to run for sheriff.

We're not going to have

the violence of the '30s.

The conditions are not the same.

There is probably

nothing illegal

or immoral about the union

trying to get the best

contract they can,

including the one

they have with everyone else.

On the other hand, the fact

that somebody else has made

a contract with the

United Mine Workers

doesn't raise any

obligation on our part,

as I see it, legally or

morally, to accept this contract

any more than we could

go to the union and say,

we want you to

accept the Southern

Labor union contract which

we have at two other mines.

Is it as simple as that?

You do not want

the major industry

agreement with United

Mine Workers, that is,

the 1971 agreement?

It's that simple, yes, if

you want to make it simple.

We'll bug 'em a

little bit this morning,

play with them a little bit.

Lester, you're mean.

I know.

Mean old man.

That's what they

say, don't they?

You can tell them

different, can't you?

I'm as gentle

as a newborn baby.

This morning was the first

time that they went to work.

All of them had

guns and pistols.

And it was just-- you know,

it was really bad, I thought.

Get the hell out of my way.

Get back in here now.

Get back in there,

all the rest of 'em.

Hold everybody.

Hey, there's a gun, boys.

Get a picture of that gun.

- Where?

Right here, boys.

Let's go!

Goddamn daddy over--

Well, there goes that

goddamn ..

Get that gun.

Come on in, boys.

Come on in.

Hello.

Hell!

Let's go, boys.

Let's go, man.

Everybody, let's go.

I'm not happy about it.

We can't hold them.

We can hold them,

but we can't hold

with all them guns they got.

They got guns.

We don't got 'em.

They allowed to carry

guns and sticks.

We can't have nothing but

a knife and a whet rock.

That's right.

AJ, we just heard that

Mickey Messer, president

of the Brookside

local, his house

was shot up last night by

some Highsplint employees.

They called his name to

get him to come outside

and he went out the back door.

And they opened up on

him with a machine gun.

Right here is one shot.

Up here is a shot.

And then that here is a shot.

I'm sure it was scabs, gun

thugs, Eastovers, ..

There ain't nobody

else that'd want

to do anything like that to me.

I've never bothered anybody.

They was shooting down

over house

and we all slept on the floor.

Honey, I.

Thugs shooting up--

Yes.

Kevin knocked me out

of bed, and the kids

was all in there crying.

Makes my blood broil.

If we don't want it to come back

to the '30s and Bloody Harlan,

and all of this

crowd, women and men,

can get out on the picket

line two or three times,

we've got it made.

If you're afraid to go to

sleep and you can't wake up,

just stay up all night.

Let's not let it happen

to come back to the '30s.

Because I was here.

I seen children hungry,

crying for something to eat.

And oh, I can't.

I can't take it.

I'll be out.

If I get shot, they can't

shoot the union out of me.

If you don't want your

husbands to die in a coal mine,

I'll see you in the morning

out on the picket line.

Which side are you on?

We're fighting for a contract.

We're fighting to be free.

And the picket line

is a long line.

There's room for you and me.

Which side are you on?

You find two or three,

sometimes four, pickets.

Very rarely are we finding six.

Now where are all

these people that

was raising hell

because they couldn't

have 50 on these picket lines?

Now the understanding

in this local union

was that strike

benefits would be paid

and every man would pull

his share of picket duty.

Right or wrong?

Right.

All right, then what in the

hell's going on around here?

Let me tell you something.

When I was sitting out on the

picket line, you was in bed.

And you was in bed.

So don't tell me--

and so I know--

Yeah, but we went to jail--

Oh, you went to jail.

You went to jail.

Who else went to jail?

Was you the only one?

- No.

We stayed over there

as long as we could stay

without going back to jail.

Let's call for a

moment of silence.

She's not done nothing

but cause trouble.

You know, you make me sick.

Well, you make me sick too.

--To you and tell

you what they tell me,

that you're running around

with their husbands,

that you're trying to take

their husbands away from them.

Well, OK, then they told

me you're an alcoholic

and everything else.

I don't care who

takes whose man,

who lives with whose

man or what they do.

If they take mine, and take

him on, they can have him.

I'll shed no tears.

I'm not after a man.

I'm after a contract.

I'm raising two boys.

I'll tell you.

We can't let our brother down.

We got to stand on solid ground.

And then we're

going to go through.

If we're going to

start letting personal--

what we feel about each other

personally get in the way,

then we're not gonna be

able to accomplish anything.

I don't count myself

nothing big in the club.

I don't count myself no

bigger than nobody else.

The rest of 'em has more

to do with it than I

do because my husband is messed

up in the mines, retired,

and the Eastover

just pushed us out.

We was pushed out before the

rent was up and all of that.

It smashed up our

daddies, down with coal dust

from that mines.

I went to school,

the age of school,

I got part of the sixth

grade, because daddy

got $8 and something a shift.

Nothing to go to school

on, had to go in overalls.

And probably

even after,,

coal out of it and sell it,

and walk off of that mountain

mines to school.

And they're all burned

up there, not even alive.

I've got Mom's coal oil lamps.

I've got her stove irons

a setting there for them

to look at and walking

to school and back.

And I know

everybody's disappointed

we don't have a bigger crowd.

And we're disappointed that

more people haven't come in.

But when you get down

to it in this fight,

and like in any

other fight, you've

got to depend on yourselves.

Nobody in the end is

going to do it for you.

The union is going to back you.

And we're going

to do all we can.

But you've got to win

this fight yourselves.

Now, it's the first

time East Kentucky

has stood up against the coal

operators, and you're doing it.

And when you win, you're

fighting for your kids

and your grandkids.

Every one of them will

have a better life because

of what you're doing here.

And that's why the

fight's so hard.

If it wasn't so much

at stake, they wouldn't

be fighting you this hard.

They wouldn't shoot

into your homes

if there wasn't

so much at stake.

And if they're not enough

on the picket line,

then when you come to the

picket line, on the way,

stop by, and pick someone

up, and knock on his door,

and ask them to

come along with you.

Bob, are you

going to be there?

Where?

At the picket

line?

Yeah.

Y'all don't know what y'all's

going up against up there.

It's the thugs that's

sitting there in the highway

with guns in their hands.

We can't do nothing except

get up there and wiggle.

Well, how do you

feel about it, Tommy?

I mean, how do you feel

about us come up there?

I don't want to go up

there against their will.

I want to be welcomed

by ..

Well, we've been

expecting you ..

Now we've got a new

president, Sudie Crusenberry

is our new president.

So let's give her a hand.

And we've got two

treasurers, co-treasurers--

Dorothy Johnson and

Mary Lou Ferguson.

I'm really tickled that we've

got this many people out, you

know, today, and all of us out.

And I think that one

thing, it's helped us.

Because last week, we

had such a struggle.

But I think that what's

come out of it is good.

Come on!

Do you think it's loaded?

Yeah.

Well, you shouldn't carry

it with you like that.

Has it got a safety on it?

Oh, it's got a safety on it.

And if it didn't,.

Long as we got.

I want you to meet

the ..

Tell them I started out with

a switch on that picket line,

but I'm ended up

now, carrying a gun.

I mean, all the time, too.

Hell, after, you

know, especially

since what's happening

up there at Highsplint,

and knowing them

and seeing them,

seeing the machine guns now.

It's time to-- well, you'd be

crazy not to carry a gun now.

You would.

Yeah?

Well, all right.

I'll be going-- are y'all

going to be back at six?

Basil!

Don't shoot!

Look out!

I'm coming back across the road.

Keep showing that

,, honey.

No!

You stay away from me.

Fuck you.

Fucking A. Take 'em back over

there and take your pants off,

baby.

All right, men,

let's break it up now.

,, Let

these people live.

You know that nigger?

That nigger is a better

man than you will ever be.

He's a better man

than you will ever be.

Three or four of them damn ol'

gun thugs get on him and start

kicking a woman,

and hitting a woman,

and then another one

come over and started

beating a man and getting

four or five of them on 'em.

And then see Basil Collins

holding a gun and calling one--

a union man, that believes

in these union men,

I want you to get that nigger.

You hear that, nigger?

Get that nigger.

I'm sick of it!

I'm sick of it.

And it's time for us to

stand together and get

just as violent as they are.

I agree.

Right.

They're violent, so by God,

you fight fire with fire.

It seemed like they

were pretty well-organized

to me this morning.

And we're going to have to get

a little tighter organized.

We're going to get

together, the women

are going to get together,

and be responsible for 10

people each at four o'clock.

If you women going

to bring ten each,

then the men ought to be able

to say, well, we'll bring five

or we'll bring 10

or we'll bring 15.

And that would be

working together.

You're going to have to get

some more black people out,

too, 'cause you look

odd ..

I am odd.

They want us to set

by and watch 'em shoot

and not us shoot back.

And the police is not going to

do nothing about it, either.

They're to blame.

Just like that, just

attack the hell out of them.

And not run.

Let your conscience be your--

I never run.

I had one.

One is all I could handle.

But I got him.

He didn't come no farther.

And if they's enough of us

up there, and we can get one,

if each one of us can get

one, hell, we can do it.

Men, women, and children, all.

It's time to stand

up and be counted.

Don't you gonna be throwed

back for 500 years.

Now we're gonna have a

picket line in the morning.

And we hope to have

a big picket line.

It's going to be

set up a little bit

different than the last ones.

We can't have a picket

line bringing a 30 caliber

machine gun shooting at you.

These ladies are sitting ducks.

Now we're going to have to

get out there and back them.

That's all they are to it.

They come up to back us, and

we're not even backing them.

And it's pretty disgusting.

And we'd like to see-- we know

about who ain't been there.

We'd like to see you out

there once in a while.

Has anybody got any questions?

Bob?

Ought to start praying

together ..

Hell, I'm praying,

too, but ..

Ed's pretty shaky up there.

We got some good ones, though.

Anything anybody

want to bring up?

Can I talk?

Come on up here.

You sure can.

If there's anybody in here

that can't or is not with us

and can't go with

us in the morning,

I'd rather for them to leave

before that I finish this,

because I do want

to know if we're

going to have these people here,

or if we can depend on them

or what.

Because if we can't, we're not

going to go up there no more,

and have those machine

guns shot at us

and have the gun thugs a-coming

across and attacking us.

We're not going to do that.

Now we're with you, and

we'll stick with you.

All these women, we

got a whole gang of 'em

that says they'll go

with them tomorrow

and we're going to be at

Mack's in the morning at 5:00.

Now we're not going

to go any earlier

than that, because

if we do, we're

just sitting ducks for them.

And they'll wait for us.

And we're not going

to tell you where

we're going to set up the picket

line until in the morning.

If you want to know

where the picket

line is going to be set

up, you'll be at Mack's

in the morning at 5:00.

We need every man

and woman there.

There's enough Brookside

pickets and Highsplint pickets

and women that those scabs

wouldn't mean a thing

if we get all of them up there.

But we're not a-going

to do it laying in bed.

Think they're going

to shoot at us today?

Shot at us yesterday.

What about today?

I don't know.

You scared?

I hope not.

Yeah.

Ain't you?

I just hope nobody gets hurt.

I don't believe.

No, we would have

seen them. 'Cause

we got people out on that.

You let them

bastard scabs come.

We got our guns now.

They may not, though.

They may work two shifts.

Nah, they ain't going to do

nothing like that.

No, they don't

doing that.

You get all disgusted--

All right.

Over

here a little bit.

Basil Collins,

right in front of you.

Basil Collins.

We shall not be moved.

We shall be, we

shall not be moved.

Just like a tree that's

standing by the water,

we shall not be moved.

Rise up!

Terrified.

We're just waiting for you.

Are we close now.

And we wasn't

blocking the road.

They was blocking the road.

They've got it

blocked all the way.

You putting the car

there, so either remove it

or I'll call the

wrecker to remove it.

- That's neutral lanes.

- No, it's not.

No, it's not,.

And you know it's

not, ..

It's not,.

You know what it is.

And I'll tell you.

You know what I told you?

I don't give a damn how much

money you make being a sheriff,

but don't go against the union.

That's all I'm asking.

When you left that car--

That's the only thing I ask.

Baby, you can stand here and

raise hell all you want to.

This road's got to be cleared.

- All right.

Will you go up there

when they shoot machine

guns across the highway?

- No, he won't.

- No?

Will you go up there then?

No, he won't.

No, he won't do it.

Why don't you?

You went up there yesterday.

I know your

grandchildren ..

That

17-year-old boy, he won't.

I mean, I see.

You know goddamn gee

that was told to me.

And I wouldn't believe

it before the election.

It was told me

that you did this.

We're not home.

Excuse me, Mr. Runes?

I have a warrant

for Basil Collins.

We want you to--

Hurray!

- Throw Basil

in jail.

You've

got a warrant for him.

--Right now.

You won't do it.

Will you two give me

a chance to do my job?

Let's

see you hang him, now.

Let's see you do it.

Somebody pay me $7.00 for

the fee of the arrest.

Here's your $7.00.

How much more you want?

Hell, you can have it all.

We'll get you up $100.

We'll raise it.

Now look.

Take him to jail.

I am going to do my job.

And this happens to

be part of my job.

Yes!

Now he's got it.

He's got it.

OK, now let's see it.

Do him in priority, though.

He'll be arrested.

But these cars got to move one.

Well, get him right now.

You arrest him.

We'll detain him for you.

Hell, don't you worry.

--Hallelujah.

Glory, glory, hallelujah.

Mark?

Under arrest for what?

Uh, disorderly

conduct, I guess.

I don't know.

Flashing a deadly weapon.

Once again, that's

part of my job.

And moving this car is

part of my job also.

I want to see

that you've moved.

Then we'll go into town.

All right.

Soon as these

people leave my truck.

Move back from his truck.

Get away from my truck.

Let's move back

from the truck.

Now did you arrest him?

If you've come to get us

to get him out, ..

This is not a

one-sided thing, Melissa.

Now I'm going to

take him to town,

but I'm also moving that car.

You're letting him drive himself

to town after he gets up there.

That's what you're doing?

What's the

difference, so long as--

Oh, no.

They's a lot of difference.

There's a lot of difference.

I tell You one thing, if

they got a warrant for us,

you would come and

take us to jail.

Lois, you're taking

things in your own hands.

You're considering--

I'm not taking

things in my own hands.

You're thinking one

way, and no other way.

Oh, know what?

How other way are

there to think?

Whenever you get shot

at with machine guns.

They shot at us

with machine guns.

How many of your men have

I up and hauled off to jail?

This is the first

time you've come out.

I will say that.

This has shocked me.

This has absolutely

shocked me to death.

So be it.

Well, you tell me--

You're down here on

a public highway now.

You're not up there

at the picket line.

You're not curbside

at the picket line.

You're here in the middle--

they're

shooting machine guns at us.

Well, they can also

transfer them down here

if they're going to kill you.

They know that.

Well, yeah, but see, we've

got a better chance down here.

Well, nevertheless,

that car has got to go.

They

got the sheriff.

We shall not be moved.

Just like a tree that's

planted by the water,

we shall not be moved.

We shall not be, we

shall not be moved.

We shall not be, we

shall not be moved.

Just like a tree that's

planted by the water,

we shall not be moved.

We shall not be moved.

Whoa,

on the mountain top.

We gonna let it shine.

Oh, the mountain top.

Oh, we gonna let it shine.

Whoa, on the mountain top,

we gonna let it shine.

Let it shine.

Well, we're going to

try to get more eyes,

and give these

brothers a little help.

I think it's a great day.

It's really rejoicing to me.

I'm gonna let it shine.

Let it shine.

All the way!

Go in tomorrow.

We're Harlan County union

from the top of our head

to the sole of our foot.

You think that the

company has any possibility

of breaking the strike?

Well, at this point in

time, I don't think so.

The show of strength on the

part of our membership here,

and the general public

awareness in East Kentucky

indicates to me that it

isn't going to be easy,

but we're going

to be successful.

Do you have any idea how

long this may go, and are you

prepared to--

It's pretty hard to say

how long it's going to go.

But we're here to stay,

as I said earlier.

Yeah,

but my name is Sam.

I'm a shuttle car driving man.

Said my name is Sam, I'm

a shuttle car driving man.

With the six big wheels

a-rollin' up

I'm neverending.

Well, this may not

be a ..

But I'm going to work

hard at it every day.

So let's the union.

And I'll keep doing my

dirty work underground.

Yeah, my name is Sam.

I'm a shuttle car driving man.

Said my name is Sam.

I'm a shuttle car driving man.

With six big wheels

a-rollin'

a neverending.

I don't know of any time

in coal mining history

when the president

and principal officers

of an international union

have come to the coalfields

during an organizing battle.

It's most gratifying to

me to see busloads in here

from Indiana and Illinois.

I think if I were

,, I think that that

would mean something to me.

To bring people

hundreds of miles

to just march around town and

listen to a couple speeches

don't make too much sense to me.

That although it generated a

lot of enthusiasm and fortified,

you know, maybe strengthened

people's morale here,

a lot more could have been

done when they came here.

That we could have, for example,

marched down to Brookside

and confronted

Yarborough face to face,

who was sitting at the

Brookside office during the day.

Uh, we could have

gone to

and expropriated

their machine guns.

And the miners

here, I'm convinced,

were ready to do

something like that.

Either that contract's

signed, it's going

to be better on everybody.

Let's show Normy Yarborough

he don't run Harlan County.

Let's show Judge Hoggs he

don't run Harlan County.

And if you people don't get

out here and help us out,

we ain't going to get

none of this right.

Now we want you down

there at five o'clock.

That's the sunrise revival

at Brookside, Kentucky.

They claim to be

rock stars ..

Excuse me.

Thought you said

we'd already been here.

Tell him to come

over here a minute.

We don't know what caused

the shooting or nothing,

but we can figure it

was just a disagreement.

Before the mineworkers,

he was shot in the face.

We helped bring him over here.

What happened?

He got shot in the damn head.

Got shot in

the face with a shotgun.

Who shot him?

A god damn scab, Bill Bruner.

That's brains laying in the

car of a goddamn fellow when

he-- he tried to do something.

That's what a scab

does to a person,

by god, when

they're not looking.

See the little shit.

The piss ant cut off a god damn

man's brain, put another one

in the hospital dying.

They been shot all

to hell ..

I'm almost done with it.

He got dead shot in the

goddamn head ..

Yeah, my son and

that's what he got shot on.

You got two sons fighting?

Yeah, yeah.

My other son, too--

he ..

How long have

you been married?

Almost a year.

How old are you?

16.

Do you have any children?

One.

Are you proud of your husband?

Yeah.

What made him decide

to go on a picket line?

Well, the union, I guess.

Yeah, he's a union man.

That's why.

I want my kids all to be union.

I don't want them to

be a yellowback scab.

I don't want them

to be kicked around

like we was when we was kids.

And my daddy, he

worked all his life

and didn't get a

thing before he died.

Worked all of his

life in the coal mine,

and we never did see him either.

We'd just sleep in the bed.

Mommy'd give us what we had

to eat, and we'd go to bed.

And he'd eat when

he'd come, and he'd

be gone when we got out of bed.

Then whenever he got too

old to work in the mine,

they just kicked him out to die.

They didn't care.

Because there wasn't

no union then.

And I don't want my

kid to be like that.

I want my kids to stick

up for their rights

and be a union man.

Well, the next time somebody

gets up in our meeting

and says, let's

have non-violence,

and well, don't bother them,

let's shoot their god damn ass.

The women get up there

and they park their car

across the road and they get up

there and say what they think,

and we hide behind

the goddamn car.

Don't you know.

I'll be honest with you.

I done got enough

goddamn shotguns

pushed in my goddamn face.

Non-violence?

We don't have no violence.

And we stand back there, and

we don't say a goddamn thing.

We don't even do nothing.

Most of you were real close

friends with Lawrence Jones.

He left a 16-year-old wife

and a five-month-old daughter.

But I think at this time

that we should at least

wait till the morning before--

and not let things

get out of hand.

I've just talked to Chip

Novalski and Rick Banks,

and they've asked me to tell you

that the company and the union

is talking, and

that they're close.

It looks to me like the best

part is to be to try to get

Basil Collins.

Amen!

Now that--

--them's the leaders, boys.

Them's the leaders,

and they-- if some way

that they can be got.

They's plenty of big

trees down there,

and they's plenty of

high-powered rifles.

I went at 'em back in the '30s.

I know just exactly.

I've seen them buddy.

I've seen them carrying

and putting ..

And now I see the man get

right out in the open.

So I tell everybody-- take

the shelter if you can,

and lay the lead to 'em.

Amen, brother.

The contract is what

we are fighting for.

That's what Lawrence Jones

died for, to get a contract.

But I told his family--

I said, it was for a good cause.

And what I said,

why couldn't it be

somebody like me, some old

man just about spent anyhow?

But it took a young

man's life to bring

this thing, the government and

the union and the operators

together.

If his shooting

hadn't a-happened,

probably this contract--

they wouldn't,

probably might not

have been a meeting

to negotiate a contract.

But every contract that

we've ever got has been hard.

We have to fight for it.

I've been all around the blood

shed back down in the '30s.

Blood all around me, where a

man died right around my feet

for a contract.

And I think if we ever

did hold our peace,

let's try to hold it tonight.

The price has been paid for it.

Leave behind, yes, leave behind.

What will I leave behind?

After I leave, for

worlds not known,

what will I leave behind?

Oh god.

No, no, no!

Oh, no, no.

Oh, god, I.

Reckon it needs to come on

up the river just a little bit,

don't it?

When you believe in

something strong enough

that you're ready to die for

it, that's when you get it.

Because that's what

happened to Lawrence Jones.

He believed in it so strong,

and he was ready to die for it,

and he did.

But it could have been me.

It could have been

anybody that was

out there on the picket line.

I feel like that this is just

a little pebble on the beach,

because we've got

a lot of organizing

to do in Harlan County.

Because Harlan County

will be UMWA coal.

I guess that I'd have to say

that as much as we fought down

here and as hard as we

fought, I don't think it was

for that young boy,

Lawrence Jones,

I doubt if we would have got

a contract as fast as we did.

I'd like to ask

that we pass a motion

that we accept this contract.

Somebody--

I'll make it.

--Make-- somebody

make the motion.

I'll make the motion.

I'll second it.

All Brookside miners

stand for a count then.

All right.

Allow 'em to sit

down, ..

Sit down.

Everybody sit down.

The ayes have

it and so ordered.

The ayes have it.

And it is so ordered.

The contract's accepted.

The only thing I hate about

this is on account of that boy

getting killed, you know.

And it all had to come--

of course--

It's a sad.

--Expected that.

I really expected more, you

know, than that to happen

and it probably would have

if it had gone on, you know,

this week and this week.

That's right.

We all knew that it was coming.

But we didn't know who or when.

Do you feel you've been

changed by this strike?

Oh, yes.

How so?

Many different ways.

I can look for a future now.

I feel good about it.

It's just great, marvelous.

After 13 months, waiting

to see, you know, him

go back to work.

Boy, it's been a long time.

I always said I wouldn't

go up there, but I did.

I did.

I said I wouldn't go.

But when I seen

him go, his fight's

my fight, so I want to stand

beside of him, fight, too.

If this had just been

a Harlan County strike,

and there hadn't been

publicity, if there hadn't been

a fight against

their rate increase,

there hadn't been a fight

against their stock,

Duke Power wouldn't have given

a damn about any of the pressure

down here.

Because all we had

was their coal.

We never had shut off enough of

that to hurt their stockpiles

up until the end.

And the same thing

with Lawrence.

They never would have cared if

Lawrence Jones died in Harlan.

There would have been a two inch

paragraph from the Harlan Daily

Enterprise, and

Carl Horn wouldn't

have given a god damn about it.

And so I don't think a strike

is won by any one thing.

It was won by a lot

of different people

in a lot of different

ways, fighting together

and playing different roles.

Victory!

Harlan County!

The other thing

we're trying to do

is investigate how the fix

was put in here in Harlan.

What fix?

Well, it's pretty clear

that when a man commits murder

and the state police

charges him and witnesses

say that he fired on

the man unprovoked,

that a grand jury is

duty bound to indict him.

But this grand jury

was Harlan County.

And it seemed like,

despite the fact

we had won a contract, not

that much had changed here.

It was just like

in the old days.

If a company kills a man,

the company gets laid off.

If one of our people

had shot any company

man throughout this strike,

he'd be serving 25 years now.

Bill Bruner is scot-free.

Once a concession is

won, and once a strike

is won, that the

workers have to move

right on to the next struggle.

And if they don't, the

concession that was won,

you gonna lose it.

Well, there's two types of ways

to win strikes and concessions.

And the first type is where

the workers fight and struggle

and force the concessions out

of the mine owners or factory

owners, what have you.

And these strikes are strikes

that are won from below.

The other type of

strike, the strikes

are given to you from above.

Whenever anybody

gives you something,

they don't give you

nothing for nothing.

To get something

and be given it,

you're going to have

to give up something.

The BCO member

companies ought to be

expected to provide

substantially higher

levels of wages and benefits.

It is essential-- be necessary

for the bargaining parties

to give serious consideration to

contract provisions which will

contribute significantly

to increased

production and productivity.

The membership of

our union no longer

was willing to accept $2

more a day, and a bar of soap

and a towel in a bathhouse.

The areas, the main areas of

concern to our membership,

has been well-established

and should be recognized

by everyone in this

country, particularly

the coal operators-- that

safety is our highest priority.

The men's asking for

more than they did before.

And they're going to get it.

They either get it, or

there won't be no coal.

This strike?

They've been looking

forward to this.

This is a big thing

for the miner,

that he will better

his lot after today.

Because when Miller

took office, he

said that he was

going to get the miner

what he was entitled to.

OK, this is flat track.

Starting

now from the work area,

and they're coming to

what we call the manway.

They'll be coming

up cage,

in another 32 minutes they'll

all be out, god willing.

Well, I think that the

ratification's great, if we

have something to say about it.

Retirement,

we want vacations.

Yeah--

Fuck.

--Better vacation.

Sick pay.

It'll never be ratified

the first time if it's not

at least a $15 a day increase.

You've been

through this before?

Many a time.

Six months one.

Are you afraid of

going out on strike?

No, I'm not afraid.

I don't want to see

no strike, definitely.

No miner wants a strike

with no contract, no work.

And if it's not a good

one, we get to ratify.

It would never have gone

the way it has if we'd

have been able to vote before.

Just like Boyle.

We didn't vote.

He says, oh, this is

what they'll take.

That's what we had to take,

was what they give us.

Now we're going to

take what we want.

See you later.

Even those who criticize

it, acknowledge it is probably

the best agreement that's

been made in any industry

in modern times.

Mr. Miller, do you

expect to recommend

ratification of this

contract to the membership?

I will recommend

ratification of this contract

to the membership.

Sir?

Will you have a right to

strike at the local level.

No.

Do you anticipate

that will cause

you any trouble

in ratifications,

since that's one of the things--

No, I'm sure there

are some divergent views

among the membership,

and I never

expected 100 % ratification.

But I'm confident the

membership will ratify.

You can't take the right

to strike away from miners.

If you go through the

proper grievance procedure,

and it doesn't work, you have

only got one right left--

the right to strike.

And if you take that away

from a man, you've had him.

It's not in the agreement?

But it's not ruled out yet.

Well, I'd like to have it.

Well, I can't speak

for everyone--

Well, let me step out here and

talk to you privately about it.

Yeah.

I don't want-- that's 35.

The international

has gone and changed

the whole ratification

process without giving

any reason for it.

But they're trying

to keep us apart.

He could be getting pressure

from the government.

He could be getting

pressure from the companies.

It's hard to say.

We don't know.

That's what the problem is.

We don't know, and

we're not being told.

Everybody was

under the impression,

I think, when

Miller was elected,

that he was the man for the job.

- That's right, yes.

- I mean, everybody--

- That's the way he acted.

- Everybody--

He act like he was.

He's an honest man.

But he's no match for them bunch

of clowns in the other cars.

That is their job.

He's honest.

He got bagged.

Coal companies

don't need to tell you

they can't afford us, either.

Because they're owned by the

oil companies and the power

companies and who has more money

in the world than those people?

So they go afford everything.

I'll tell you what.

The company kept the apple.

It throwed us the core!

You look at these

coal companies.

You look at Consolidated Coal--

181 goddamn percent profits.

You look at Piston--

886.

And now,,

they're giving us a goddamn

five more days' vacation.

Burn 'em all!

Hey!

Goddamn.

This is unprecedented,

isn't it, Mr. Secretary,

for a Secretary of the

Treasury to step in like this?

I don't think it's

unprecedented, no.

I think this is a very serious

issue in the economic area

in our country.

And a prolonged coal

strike would have very

serious economic implications.

So as the chief

economic spokesman,

I consider this my very

deep responsibility

to attempt to work toward

a resolution of this issue.

What is your reaction

to the government

stepping in at this time?

Well, I hope that we can

resolve the matter ourself.

That's the way I feel about it.

Some of this contract

has got some goodies.

But most of this

contract is against you.

What contract?

As far as I can see,

this is no contract at all.

Take it and read

it and shut up.

That's what I did

with the last one.

You worked three

years at Wheeling Steel,

you can get 13 weeks.

Well, you're not

working at Wheeling Steel.

No, but by god, I ain't

working in a hole all the time.

I work down in the

hole, too, and I deserve

just as much as he gets.

That's right.

What about your

high cost of living?

What about your sick leave?

Five goddamn days.

Have you been off sick?

I can't afford to get sick.

I have to spend all my

money going to the doctor,

getting doctor's slips.

They got the cost of living

index set up for people

making $2 and $3 an hour.

Where we should be on a

0.3, or 0.25 instead of 0.4.

That's right.

It's a joke.

Yeah, just keep.

Yes, yes.

Uh oh, a lot of yeses,

boy, I'm telling you.

Local

number ..

105.

106.

107.

The 1974 Bituminous

Coal Wage Agreement

has been ratified

by the membership

of the United Mine Workers.

The figures for those

voting for is 44,754.

And 34,741 voting against.

I think that we

have a great contract.

I think our people will

adapt theirselves to it.

They will be more familiar with

it as they work along with it.

And it's my hope

that we can now get on

with the job of

running this union

and doing the kind

of organizing job

that will make the United

Mine Workers number

one in the country again.

I'm directing the membership

of our United Mine Workers

organization back to work.

I'm glad to get back.

Feel you got a good contract?

Aw, oh, I feel

mine's all right.

I got a good raise.

I'm happy about it.

I'm not too worried.

Good morning.

How do you feel about

going back to work?

Well, going to work, I don't

feel like working any time.

But I have to go.

Do you feel you

got a good contract?

Well, not for us old timers,

we don't have a good contract.

Why not?

Well, we ain't going

to get too much benefit.

You take three years ago the

coal miners are supposed to be

getting $50 a day,.

And within six

years, 1976, I still

won't be getting $50 a day

with these new rates in there.

And the papers had to

be forged three years

ago that they'd start up $50.

But now that it's

after six years,

I still won't be making $50.

When are you going

to be able to retire?

Well, I've maybe old

enough to retire now.

But I couldn't live

off $150 a month.

So, I gotta go to work.

Hey, have a safe day.

Well, I'm going to try.

It was a fight before

and it's still a fight.

Fight before we had the

union and still fighting.

And they're going keep fighting.

The coal miner will

always be fighting.

United we stand,

divided we fall.

For every dime they give

us, a battle must be fought.

So working people, use your

power, the key to liberty.

Don't support that rich

man's style of luxury.

There ain't no way they can

ever keep us down, oh no.

Ain't no way they can

ever keep us down.

We won't be bought,

we won't be sold.

To be treated right,

well, that's our goal.

And there ain't no way

they can ever keep us down.

But you have

got them going now

and you've got to

keep them going.

If you don't, God bless

America, you're down.

That we get a

grievance procedure that

has a right to strike in it.

So that we can

fight the companies

and win our grievances.

We've been shot and

we've been jailed, lord.

It's a sin.

Women and little children

stood right by the men.

But we got that Union contract

that keeps the worker free,

and they'll never shoot

that union out of me.

And they'll never shoot

that union out of me, oh no.

Never shoot that

union out of me.

Got a contract in

our hands signed

by the blood of honest men.

And they'll never shoot

that union out of me.

If you get

those junctions lifted,

you get those junctions

struck, automatically

you've got the right to strike.

Well, the power wheel is

rolling, rolling right along.

And the government can keep

it growing, growing strong.

So working people get your

help from your own kind.

Your welfare ain't on

the rich man's mind.

Your welfare ain't on that

rich man's mind, oh no.

Your welfare ain't on

that rich man's mind.

They want the power

in their hands

just to keep down the

worker, and your welfare

ain't on that rich man's mind.

And they'll never, never,

never keep us down, oh no.

Never, never,

never keep us down.

They can cheat,

lie, frame or steal,

but we'll stop that big wheel.

And they'll never, never,

never keep us down.

Harlan County U.S.A. (1976) - full transcript